A standout collegiate basketball player turned coach, Jayci Stone was hired at Arkansas in the fall of 2022 to help enrich the student-athlete experience. Stone serves as the director of student-athlete development for the women’s basketball team, entering her second year on staff in 2023-24.
Mentorship plays an important role in the student-athlete experience, and the player development piece is key in helping Razorback women’s basketball players transition into lives after basketball. With Stone as the director of player development, the program’s community service hours have exceeded previous years, and now, the women’s basketball team is one of the most involved among women’s teams at Arkansas.
After her collegiate basketball career, Stone transitioned into a coaching role. Most recently, Stone was an assistant coach at her alma matter, Kansas State, for two seasons. She was responsible for player development, recruiting evaluation and game preparation. During her stint, the Wildcats compiled a 39-28 winning record across two seasons with two postseason appearances.
During the 2018-19 season, the Wildcats finished 21-12, while earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament in the Albany region. K-State tied for fourth in the Big 12 and advanced at least one round in the Big 12 Women’s Basketball Championships for the 17th time in program history in 2019. Stone also assisted in the development of All-Big 12 First Team selections, Kayla Goth and Peyton Williams.
Prior to the time spent in her home state, Stone was an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Stephen F. Austin. In those two seasons, Stone guided the program to a 43-20 record and an appearance in the 2017 WNIT.
Stone spent the 2014-15 season at Southern Utah. As an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator, she played a huge role in organizing the signings of eight players in the 2015 class.
Before her time out west, Stone wore a lot of hats at TCU during her three seasons, serving as the video coordinator, director of operations and interim assistant coach. During her time in Fort Worth, the Horned Frogs also experienced a nine-win turnaround (18-14) in the program’s second season as a member of the Big 12.
Stone also gained coaching experience as an assistant coach at Hutchinson Community College (2009-11), Frank Phillips College (2008-09) and Alaska-Anchorage (2007).
As a player, Stone’s career included stops at Colby Community College, New Mexico State and Alaska-Anchorage. Stone wrapped up her playing career at UAA with a stellar senior season averaging 11.2 points, 6.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game on a 23-6 team. She was named Great Northwest Athletic Conference Newcomer of the Year and was a Second Team All-Conference choice.
Stone is a graduate of Kansas State, class of 2008, after majoring in social sciences with an emphasis in physical education and history. She attained her master’s in liberal arts from TCU in 2013.
Married to Mike Neighbors, the two have two sons, Bowen and Barrett.
